Breaking the Sound Barrier - Classroom Noise and Learning Style

The widespread adoption of open-space education in the past decade resulted in considerable controversy about the effects of the acoustic environments of schools. While proponents of open education claimed that such arrangements helped learning, critics contended that the increased noise levels interfered with concentration and impaired the performance of the students. This contentious issue intensified the need to measure exactlv the influence of the acoustic environment upon students' ability to concentrate and learn, thereby providing the impetus for several research investigations.